A former forklift driver at the LuLaRoe women’s clothing warehouse in Corona claims in a lawsuit he was the target of racial slurs and jokes during the months he worked at the company, with his supervisor frequently leading the alleged harassment by other co-workers.

Brandon Stubblefield said in his Riverside County Superior Court lawsuit that his complaints to his supervisor instead resulted in retaliation followed by his unjust dismissal. During his November 2016-July 2017 tenure, LuLaRoe human resources department did not appear to regard him seriously, Stubblefield claimed. He said other black workers at the warehouse faced the same treatment.

“On numerous occasions, plaintiff was yelled at and called a n—–,” according to the lawsuit. “These statements at the workplace were witnessed by several co-workers, as well as the plaintiff’s mother.” The document does not detail who specifically used the derogatory word in those alleged incidents.

The lawsuit said Stubblefield’s supervisor “led the way for all co-workers to mistreat plaintiff in an effort to scare plaintiff to leave his employment. While plaintiff refused to quit, he requested a transfer … on at least five occasions, yet his requests were consistently ignored,” according to Stubblefield’s lawsuit.

“LuLaRoe is strongly committed to maintaining a fair, inclusive and safe workplace environment where all of our employees work hard and treat one another with dignity and respect,” the company said in a statement, adding it does not comment on open litigation involving an employee matter.

“Although almost all employees took part in this behavior which was aimed squarely at plaintiff, it was frequently (his supervisor) who led the joke-making, setting the tone for everyone else,” Stubblefield claimed.

Stubblefield claimed he was singled out. He was asked if he watched black actor and comedian Kevin Hart; asked, “Blacks like Corn Nuts, right?”; was told, “You have black people hair!” He was also asked, “Do you feel weird since you and Ray are the only blacks in the warehouse?” according to the suit.

The lawsuit claims other stereotyping or racist incidents such as comments on Stubblefield drinking Kool-Aid, perceived as a drink favored by African-Americans, and co-workers singing “Wade in the Water,” “a song associated with slave labor in the antebellum South,” while Stubblefield moved heavy objects.

The lawsuit, filed Jan. 18, does not specify an amount sought, other than the requisite excess of $25,000 for an unlimited civil case in California. Stubblefield claimed he was an excellent employee with starting pay of $12.50 an hour that had been raised to $14.50 hourly by the time he was dismissed

“We did our due diligence, and do have witnesses that can support his claims,” said one of Stubblefield’s attorneys, Raymond Babaian, of Valiant Law in Ontario.

Stubblefield, whose hometown was not given, was not available for an interview, Babaian said.

“It is inexcusable and incomprehensible that people, especially people in management, think it is OK to treat their employees in a racially hostile manner,” the attorney said in a statement.

Stubblefield said the supervisor was never disciplined for his alleged conduct and instead found a reason to suspend Stubblefield when he complained. At one meeting with the human resources manager, Stubblefield said he asked why the manager was not taking notes but was shrugged off.

Stubblefield said he learned afterword about a workplace meeting in which employees were told to stop making jokes with racial slurs in the workplace, “demonstrating the Human Resources office was well aware of the hostile and racist work environment plaintiff was subjected to.”

The Stubblefield lawsuit is not connected to several business-related lawsuits filed against LuLaRoe in federal court. The company specializes in leggings and other products. It sells its clothing to consultants, who in turn sell it to customers. The majority of its consultants are women whose sales operations are home-based.

In November 2017, the company claimed year-to-date retail sales of more than $2.1 billion.

A journalist since 1975 for City News Service in Los Angeles, The Associated Press in Los Angeles and New York, and The Press-Enterprise, Richard K. De Atley has been Entertainment Editor and a features writer. He has also reported on trials and breaking news. He is currently a business reporter for The P-E. De Atley is a Cal State Long Beach graduate, a lifelong Southern Californian (except for that time in New York -- which was great!) and has been in Riverside since 1992.

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